Can you be sued for being an arrogant self-serving jackass?

Well, as was the case with Martha Stewart, it just might turn out to be the elephant in the room that can't legally be introduced at trial.

Ace, I know you can't fight the funny, but please, go easy on this one. O'Reilly and Fox did the only thing you can, faced with a blackmail attempt.

Well, look, I don't know what's going on here. I'm not pre-judging the situation.

If I did a Top Ten, it would be silly. I'm not looking to gut the man. He annoys me. That doesn't mean I actually dislike him.

I know, Ace. I'm sure it would be funny as hell, too. And O'Reilly annoys me when he gets self-important, too, yeah. But I hate the thought of someone who won't give in to blackmail, as squirmingly embarassing as this matter sounds, becoming the butt of jokes.

There's nothing harder than smiling sweetly and saying, 'Publish and be damned.' Even knowing it's the right response. No matter what, it's going to hurt you.

From the Fox complaint, we know at least some of what's going on here. The most damaging revelation is her going to his hotel room, even if she admits nothing whatsoever happened there. Find me anyone who isn't snickering, smirking and nudge-nudge-wink-winking. Except maybe me. Think how that one would have been played by the press.

So the pre-emptive strike, here, is about all Fox can do. Even I felt my eyebrows climbing for my hairline when I read that paragraph, and I should know better. I know O'Reilly's a self-righteous blowhard, and he diligently self-promotes, and so on and so forth, and it's all so deliciously naughty, but can we resist the urge to turn into Kitty Kelly, here?

Sorry about the length of the post, Ace.

Dianna,

Well, honestly, it was just going to be a Top Ten of Remarks Allegedly Made By Bill O'Reilly, like:

"You're on penis, and you're spinning, counsellor."

I mean, not really hard-hitting.

Also, possibly, not really that funny. That's the only one I've come up with, and I only came up with it now.

It looks like Fox sees this as a left wing attempt at a smear campaign - ie the harassment part is just an enabler to embarrass O'Reilly and Fox at a sensitive time. Left wing conspiracy theories, anyone? Anyways, if this is their thinking, then suing first was the right answer - in a PR battle, you want to be setting the agenda, not responding to it.

Didn't take long.

Can you blame him?

If it was Keith Olbermann or Chrissy Matthews, I'd be all over this myself.